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Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

psychologytoday.com

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Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#51

Post by broast »

kilgnad wrote: post #40
legitster wrote: post #31

I think there's a ton of self deception when it comes to marijuana use. I mean, look with your own eyes and you can clearly see lots of long-term negative effects on users. The studies are only proving what we all really already know. The same thing was true for cigarettes - even before all of the major studies came out lots of people were able to put together the obvious connection between smoking and lung problems.

Before legalization in many states, even on HN even the suggestion that cannabis was unhealthy could get you voted down. People refused to believe it. Now that it's legal peoples' objectives have shifted and it's now ok to talk about it. It's a literal example of the stupidity in human psychology. People don't use logic to make conclusions about the world, they use logic to justify their conclusions so they can fulfi…

I use cannabis daily, and I also follow all the studies suggesting cognitive decline, alzheimers, and heart issues, etc. However, having not started till I was in my mid 20's, I do find that maybe I benefited from that cognitive decline with decreased anxiety, more physical energy, and more success in life. But now that I'm in a better place, I do intend to stop for a decade or two though, for the sake of my longevity.

Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#52

Post by varispeed »

austin-cheney wrote: post #11
varispeed wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Author obviously has a conflict of interest. He fails to acknowledge that correlation is not causation and that these studies fail to take into account other variables that could influence the outcomes.

I read the article and did not see anything that would qualify as a conflict. Correlation is not causation only on its face, which is why researchers compare their findings against control groups.

> a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction medicine.

And typically their are missing confounding variables.

Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#53

Post by deepsquirrelnet »

newsclues wrote: post #16
fallingknife wrote: post #7

I smoked weed constantly in college, and when I stopped, it was like a fog lifted. Its danger was comically exaggerated in the anti-drug propaganda they force fed to kids in the US for so long that a lot of people have a reactionary tendency to assume it's harmless, but they will soon be proven wrong. Still has nothing on America's number 1 hard drug, alcohol, though.

I've found it's possible to get high every night, and be clear headed and functional in the morning. A weekend of heavy smoking and edibles can leave me feeling a bit sluggish on Monday. But also refreshed for the rest of the week.

Ditto. I don’t smoke cannabis that is bred to be high in thc, because I prefer a light effect. I use a dry herb vaporizer and don’t have any issues engaging in deep thought work in the morning.

My main concern with long term use is dream suppression. So I do take breaks frequently. Also I think it’s not a good for developing brains In the realm of things that I think the government needs to protect us from, I think cannabis prohibition is completely absurd and insidious. We barely talk about alcohol addiction and god forbid we reckon with prolific Tylenol and NSAID abuse — both of which have acute toxic effects on the body.

Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#54

Post by iLoveOncall »

SamoyedFurFluff wrote: post #41
troydavis wrote: post #24

Here's the actual paper. Long-term Cannabis Users Show Lower Cognitive Reserves and Smaller Hippocampal Volume in Midlife: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9426660/ From the abstract: > We tested the hypotheses that long-term cannabis use is associated with cognitive deficits and smaller hippocampal volume in midlife, which is important because midlife cognitive deficits and smaller hippocampal volume are…

This associative effect is interesting in that there’s not a causal proven relationship albeit many common alternatives have been ruled out. It could very well be the kind of people who partake in weed were already predisposed to losing iq and developing dementia risk factors for some other abstract reason, and we can use weed smoking as a signal of something else being wrong. Fascinating stuff tho

People will really try anything to make it seem like Cannabis is perfectly harmless even in the face of cold hard evidence, it's laughable.

Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#55

Post by iLoveOncall »

legitster wrote: post #31

I think there's a ton of self deception when it comes to marijuana use. I mean, look with your own eyes and you can clearly see lots of long-term negative effects on users. The studies are only proving what we all really already know. The same thing was true for cigarettes - even before all of the major studies came out lots of people were able to put together the obvious connection between smoking and lung problems.

> I think there's a ton of self deception when it comes to marijuana use.

Indeed, as is evidenced by the many comments in this very post claiming the study is bullshit or there's no proof of causality, or whatever else they can come up with.

Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#56

Post by starkd »

iLoveOncall wrote: post #54
SamoyedFurFluff wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This associative effect is interesting in that there’s not a causal proven relationship albeit many common alternatives have been ruled out. It could very well be the kind of people who partake in weed were already predisposed to losing iq and developing dementia risk factors for some other abstract reason, and we can use weed smoking as a signal of something else being wrong. Fascinating stuff tho

People will really try anything to make it seem like Cannabis is perfectly harmless even in the face of cold hard evidence, it's laughable.

Its not that hard to believe though. When you have used something for a long while, its difficult to face the fact that you may have been doing something to the detriment of your health. I see it as a coping mechanism.

I really don't understand what the allure of cannabis is. For me, an immediate effect was a decline not only in cognitive ability but also short term memory. Like not being able to hold a thought for more than 5 seconds. How is that pleasurable? It should be no wonder long term use trends in the direction of decline. Of course, for older or termininally ill patients, the pain management benefits may be worth the trade-off, but if the choice is living with pain vs. being perpetually stoned, I think I'd try living with the pain as much as long as I can.

(FTR, I am not against legalisation, so no need to accuse me of trying to take away your drug. I just think we need to make these decisions with caution.)

Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#57

Post by starkd »

kilgnad wrote: post #40
legitster wrote: post #31

I think there's a ton of self deception when it comes to marijuana use. I mean, look with your own eyes and you can clearly see lots of long-term negative effects on users. The studies are only proving what we all really already know. The same thing was true for cigarettes - even before all of the major studies came out lots of people were able to put together the obvious connection between smoking and lung problems.

Before legalization in many states, even on HN even the suggestion that cannabis was unhealthy could get you voted down. People refused to believe it. Now that it's legal peoples' objectives have shifted and it's now ok to talk about it. It's a literal example of the stupidity in human psychology. People don't use logic to make conclusions about the world, they use logic to justify their conclusions so they can fulfi…

this is a good argument for its legalisation. The more you try to ban it, the more the allure is. But legalisation should be coupled with early childhood education warning about the harms. It is particulary bad for the developing brain to use it. I fear this has been overlooked, and we are going to see a generational lapse in achievement.

Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#58

Post by gameman144 »

devwastaken wrote: post #50
troydavis wrote: post #24

Here's the actual paper. Long-term Cannabis Users Show Lower Cognitive Reserves and Smaller Hippocampal Volume in Midlife: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9426660/ From the abstract: > We tested the hypotheses that long-term cannabis use is associated with cognitive deficits and smaller hippocampal volume in midlife, which is important because midlife cognitive deficits and smaller hippocampal volume are…

IQ statistics is pseudo science. Therefore we can dismiss the study out of hand. Soft sciences need to be able to prove their underlying methodologies, and have so far largely failed to do so. They rely on shifting around numbers and cherry picking data to get specific outcomes.

> IQ statistics is pseudo science.

The correlation between IQ and general intelligence is one of the more reproducible results in psychology. Is there a different usage of IQ that you're doubting, or are you doubting that correlation itself?

Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#59

Post by imustbeevil »

starkd wrote: post #56
iLoveOncall wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People will really try anything to make it seem like Cannabis is perfectly harmless even in the face of cold hard evidence, it's laughable.

Its not that hard to believe though. When you have used something for a long while, its difficult to face the fact that you may have been doing something to the detriment of your health. I see it as a coping mechanism. I really don't understand what the allure of cannabis is. For me, an immediate effect was a decline not only in cognitive ability but also short term memory. Like not being able to hold a thought for m…

> I really don't understand what the allure of cannabis is.

Everything that exists in reality, from the observable beginning to the projected end, follows a pattern of abstraction that is exact and single. Drugs give you access to "suspension of disbelief" in experiencing fiction that is larger than reality.

> Like not being able to hold a thought for more than 5 seconds.

Not really an effect of cannabis. Heuristically it's more like the opposite, focusing on one thing for hours. The same way people with ADHD take Adderall.

Re: Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus

#60

Post by starkd »

broast wrote: post #51
kilgnad wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Before legalization in many states, even on HN even the suggestion that cannabis was unhealthy could get you voted down. People refused to believe it. Now that it's legal peoples' objectives have shifted and it's now ok to talk about it. It's a literal example of the stupidity in human psychology. People don't use logic to make conclusions about the world, they use logic to justify their conclusions so they can fulfi…

I use cannabis daily, and I also follow all the studies suggesting cognitive decline, alzheimers, and heart issues, etc. However, having not started till I was in my mid 20's, I do find that maybe I benefited from that cognitive decline with decreased anxiety, more physical energy, and more success in life. But now that I'm in a better place, I do intend to stop for a decade or two though, for the sake of my longevit…

The study didn't mention anything about THC levels of the marijuana, but I would think that would make a big difference. As a general rule, dependence on any substance probably always entails a certain sacrifice to health. Even reliance on a pill to sleep at night has deleterious effects.
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